


Lead The Way Cochise

by CrayonEnvious



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Before the start of the game, Booze and Pizza, Family, Josh still has some issues, Mature scenes later on, Multi, Parties, Past Relationships, Swearing, You Have Been Warned, everyone is ok, more tags to be added later, relationships, reunited friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2018-11-02 05:32:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10938012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrayonEnvious/pseuds/CrayonEnvious
Summary: Simply an Until Dawn fanfiction to please my inner fangirl (This is one of maybe three I've started) (Started in October 2016) :)Theodora and Olivia have been friends with the Until Dawn group since they were little and three years after going away they are back. Everyone has changed from what they remember and the same can be said about them. As they learn and grow with the changes, emotions will escalate and their views on their relationships with everyone will change.





	1. Rose-Coloured Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Chapters will be song titles I'm listening to at the time.  
> Set a good few months before the start of the game.  
> \-----------------------------------------------

The chest rattling hum of a motors engine vibrated though the air as _the cause_ waved slightly on the friction-less road beneath it.

"Whhhaaa....Theodora you’re going to fucking kill us!" the panicked yell was muffled beneath the safety of the floral printed black and pink motorcycle helmet.  
Up ahead the traffic lights faded from amber to red causing the black motorcycles back wheel to slide slightly sideways as the driver hit the brakes. Theodora placed her right leg down on the frosted surface; a low chuckle coming from under her own helmet at the feel of her companions arms squeezing desperately around her waist “Don’t laugh! It’s not funny!” Olivia yelled back.

“Olivia we’re alright. I’m smart enough to equip my wheels with the right tires for this Canadian weather. I’ve got this. Just trust me” the reassurance was eminent in her voice, but it did not make her passenger any more relaxed.

“You’re a nut case there's no way I can trust yooouuuaahhhhh!” she stated her words pulling off into another panicked yelp as the lights faded back to green, signalling Theodora to pull off unexpectedly; the female quickly picking up the speed.

Olivia felt her stomach tense as the bike curved left around a corner. She would’ve tightened her hold onto her designated driver, but at this point in time that was practically impossible. Right now she was attached to Theodora like a baby koala to its mother, so close in fact that certain movements made her helmet clang against the one in front of her; small black marks had begun to appear on the back of the royal blue hard plastic, Theodora’s head jolting slightly as she stopped at another light; Olivia’s head tapping once again into the back of hers “Are we almost there!?” she grumbled.

The female placed on the back of the motor had kept her gaze to the side in attempt to occupy herself instead of thinking about the speed her body was experiencing. Between the whizzing colours and the stops at the traffic lights she’d begun to realise the change in scenery: the houses had begun to expand, their sizes becoming larger and exteriors more extravagant regardless of the small layer of snow glazing over their features: the gardens seemed to appear more tidy as the streets past- big fancy gates blocking entrances and statues with marble features becoming more and more prominent. The spaces between each house seemed to become further and further apart and the neighbourhood children playing about on the snow blanketed grass decreased until the streets became empty, with only the sound of Theodora’s noisy vehicle disturbing the peace. “Almost Fredericks. We’re about ten minutes away!” Theodora answered turning her head over her shoulder so that Olivia could hear her better, but not enough to take her eyes off the road.

“Oh thank God!” Olivia squeezed her eyes shut as she felt the bike tilt as the road ventured up a hill, right then she wasn’t aware if she was still moving forward or if the bike was stuck with wheels rotating in the same place. It was only when she felt the metal structure level out that she realised that they were still moving forward, their speed never faltering.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, not so far away in a chaotic yet rather empty house Melinda Washington rushed back and forth making sure her house was in tiptop condition for her fast approaching guests. “Hannah pick up that cushion and clear the cups from the kitchen! Beth make sure that your brother hasn’t left the upper bathroom in a state!” the five foot five woman paced between the rooms throughout the hall. She was a few inches smaller than her twin daughters; who both stood beside the long staircase with cross arms and raised eyebrows, looking down on her in confusion.  
In comparison with their parents the girls took after their mum for their facial structures; contagious smiles, soft welcoming chocolate eyes and a slim frame which their mum said came from her side of the family. The rest of their features were dominated by their dad: the thick raven hair that worked well with their slight caramel toned skin and his height which was only an inch or so higher than his daughters. Melinda stopped in her tracks once she realised that her daughters hadn’t moved “What are you girls doing? Come on get your butts in gear!” their mothers voice rose slightly as she made a shooing motion towards them.

“What’s all the fuss about mum? The girls aren’t going to be here for another two days. We have plenty of time” Hannah stated tilting to her right to lean lazily against the banister.

“Well if we get everything ready now then we won’t have to rush around so much on the day they arrive” Melinda stated. She hadn’t informed the girls that their guests were arriving early, so that when they did eventually pull up on the semi snowy drive, the girls could squeal in joyous surprise.

“But mum the house looks fine” Beth commented shuffling on her feet, getting distracted by the movement of Hannah adjusting her glasses from the corner of her eye.

“Please girls-” Melinda shot a look of pleading towards them “-just do what I ask and then I’ll leave you alone for the rest of the day”. It wasn’t the unspoken promise that had the girls sighing in defeat and nodding at their parent, but the undying loyalty between mother and child that had them agreeing every time: whether they said no at first or not.

“Alright” Beth smiled, Hannah gave a nod in agreement as she used her shoulder to shove up off the banister to stand straight once more.

“Thank you. I love you both so much” their mother beamed walking over to them, placing a hand on the back of their necks so that she could bring them down to kiss each on their forehead. As the older woman disappeared the two shared a small chuckle at her behaviour before parting ways to start their given chores: Beth skipped up the slightly veering staircase, entering the bathroom to find the floor wet and open topped gels lying on the side, dripping onto the cooling still partly condensed counter.  
She scoffed at how messy her brother had been before disappearing off not so long ago, rushing out the door with only half a coat on exclaiming that he was running late to meet his best friend Chris “What are we going to do with you brother?” she smiled, although her grin didn’t stay for long; her brow twisting as her woollen sock landed upon and soaked up a puddle of water.

As her sister ascended up the staircase Hannah darted into the living room and started rearranging all the cushions on the couch: she dusted off and plumped up the ones that Josh had knocked onto the floor earlier as he dived over the back of the couch, almost landing in a seated position on her thighs as he didn’t realise his younger sister sprawled out across the furniture. She folded up the blanket that she had once been curled up in, placing it on the second to bottom step so that she’d remember to take it upstairs later once she was done in the kitchen. Skidding across the parquet flooring in her fluffy socks she made her way to the sink, emptying the coffee dried mugs from this morning to the side so that the now empty sink could be filled with hot water and a small mountain of bubbles.

Melinda was currently in the dining room, shifting the tableware and decorations about until her OCD was satisfied with how the setup looked. She dusted the shelves that were filled up with trinkets that the family had brought back from various places abroad and the photo frames with different images of the kids at an array of ages placed around them. She could hear Hannah in the kitchen unintentionally clanking the cups together as she tidied the cooking space and the footsteps of Beth thudded from up above as she paced back and forth in the bathroom “What else is there left to do?” she questioned herself pulling on her tied back hair to tighten the elastic band around her gathered locks before glancing at her slim rose gold watch around her left wrist, “Oh damn it” she sighed realising the time.  
The two females had called the Washington mother once they had landed over at the airport, they had explained that they would probably make it to the house in about two hours. The pair had run into some trouble with their luggage: the flight crew had somehow misplaced their cases and had messed up with the booking of Olivia’s hired Land Rover- how they’d managed that, no one could figure out- and Theodora had to sort some things out with customs before she could retrieve her motorcycle. That had been about an hour and forty-five minutes ago and even though Melinda was grateful for the delay; for those extra minutes to sort everything out around the house, the time had all but gone too quickly.

 

Melinda had never felt so stressed, she knew that the girls weren't judgemental: they always said that the Washington house was spectacular, but just like her own mother she was always compelled to clean to a certain extent.  
Despite her small fit of panic she continued to move things about. She fiddled with the table garment: the strip of decorative material that lay down the center of the dark wood, pretty enough for decoration and suitable enough for preventing heat discolouration from the hot plates. She fixed the creased material with flat fingers and palms before shifting the autumn toned flower arrangement in the center.

Melinda straightened her spine, leaning back to examine her station: if she was satisfied she'd walk away and if not she'd take another five minutes to rearrange everything. She stood staring at the dining room ' _somethings not quite right_ ' she told herself as she looked over the oversized interior, she wasn't quite sure if something was missing or if she's was over thinking things again.

After a few seconds she told herself that everything was fine and disappeared into the connecting living room: she was relived to see that Hannah had tidied the cushions and had removed her bed wear from the couch. The older woman paced over to the fireplace that sat almost adjacent from the rooms large open archway: along the ledge of the frame that surrounded the chimneys bottom was more photos of the family, this time though it was primarily of the kids and their friends. Picking up a frame one at a time Melinda wiped what little dust there was off of their surface.

She smiled warm heartedly at each one: there was a long photo of her children- Josh in the center with an arm over each sister placed at either side, all with big smiles on their faces: one was of Hannah, Sam, Mike and Emily all dressed up for prom: a larger picture was of Josh and Chris on Josh's eighteenth birthday- each boy with a beer bottle raised high, faces full of drunken joy as the two cheered for a reason Melinda couldn't quite remember: another was of the twins with Olivia and Theodora- each soaking wet with clothes dripping and makeup slightly running, all with arms around each other as they laughed from just coming off a water ride: one near the center was of all the girls- it was before Olivia and Theodora moved away so everyone was about sixteen maybe seventeen, all dressed up in pyjamas and scattered around the living room, Jessica was on one of the couches with Emily beside her pointing at an iPhone with big grins on their faces, Ashley was on the floor around a monopoly board with Beth, Sam and Theodora placed at the other sides, while Hannah and Olivia looked like colourful caterpillars wiggling around on the free couch in closed sleeping bags: and finally there was a portrait picture of her three kids, Olivia, Theodora, Sam and Chris all gathered at the dining table at Christmas one year- Chris' glasses had steamed up from the heating as he sat on a chair while looking a little upset as Sam stood beside him forcing a Christmas hat onto his head, Josh and Olivia were making puckered faces together to keep small plastic moustaches they'd won in crackers attached to their noses, Theodora held a shiny red present with a big gold bow by her head mid shake with tongue out in concentration trying to figure out what was inside, Beth and Hannah were beside Theodora pointing with gasping expressions at the person behind the camera, all the while a large Christmas tree sat in the background.

Melinda placed the last frame back down, her expression was so warm as she reminisced all the memories noted in the images before her. She stay staring at the last photo for a long time, just seeing all the kids happy made her heart bubble with motherly emotions. It was only the low rumble that suddenly rose from outside that made her return to reality and rush from her place in front of the fire. With quick steps she made sure she made it to the front door before her daughters clocked on to what was happening.

Reaching the varnished entrance she pulled the door open a lot quicker than she had intended: she watched as the black motorcycle with the two figures occupying it came to a stop on the wet stoned driveway. The masked figures gave a small jolt as the humming stopped and the engine cut off, each placed their legs to the ground, though the driver raised one again so that their foot could kick down a stand to keep the bike from toppling over.

The passenger was first to dismount: swinging a leg over the seat she hopped into a stable standing position before straightening up and pulling off her black helmet dotted with pink flowers. A river of straight milk chocolate hair fell from the cover of the helmet, it stood up a little from being forced between the protective cushions, but the female quickly neatened it with a few combs of her fingers.  
Melinda smiled noting from a distance that she'd grown taller and filled out a little from the last time she saw her: her hair bunched up in the hood of her murky green padded coat- mingling with the dyed fur around its edge, Light blue washed out jeans stuck to her lower curves and they lead down to thick light brown boots that helped her crunch through the solidifying snow. Placing the helmet on the now empty space on the bike the female pulled down the back of her coat before turning towards the older female waiting just outside of the front door. Melinda's smile widened as she witnessed the brunette grin in excitement at the sight of her "Hello Olivia my dear!" She called to the younger female.

Olivia waved rapidly with a glowing aura around her as she felt the nostalgia of being back at the large Washington house, with their cheerful mother waiting at the front door ready to great them: that was only if she was there though and not off on a business call. The brunette turned around realising that Theodora was still messing around on her bike. Olivia's brow folded slightly as she watched her companion tinker with her motor "Dude!?" She moaned using the back of her hand to whack the other female hard on the shoulder.

A muffled "Ow!" Came from under the navy helmet as the female raised her hand to rub the attacked area.

With a black tint in her vision from the helmets screen Theodora watched as Olivia's brows rose with eyes wide as she made a nodding back motion with her head "Stop fiddling around with the damn bike and say hi" she mumble complained through gritted teeth.

Theodora looked back past the brunette finally noticing the Washington mother at the door: from under the helmet she beamed, her posture straightening as she raised her arm up to wave over Olivia "Come on girls. Hurry on up and come inside before you freeze to death" Melinda gave a small laugh at her comment, wrapping her arms around herself and giving her arms a small rub to emphasise her statement.

Theodora gave up with her bike, swinging her legs over the seat like Olivia had earlier. The brunette twisted a little awkwardly to catch her discarded helmet as Theodora knocked it with the back of her foot "Jesus" Olivia sighed as she placed the black and pink plastic back onto the seat.

"Sorry" Theodora cowered, her voice growing slightly as she apologised while removing her own helmet.

Waves of ruffled sandy blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and the female ran her fingers through the front of her hair to sort out her fringe, the stands of sand fell over a blue jean vest that sat atop of a thick long sleeved hoodie, black jeans with odd leather looking patches at the thighs hugged her lower legs and on her feet sat chunky maroon boots with black soles. She turned to retrieve her keys before sealing them away into one of her pockets: from there she rotated to gaze upon the awaiting female, she gave another genuine smile- one that Melinda could actually see this time- grabbing hold of Olivia's sleeve to give it a small tug as she began to make her way up towards the porch steps.

Olivia stumble turned a little shocked at the unexpected pull, she grumbled a little under her breath at her companion before brushing it off and following the blonde up towards the houses entrance.

 

Melinda stepped away from the doorway to let the pair escape from the cold: they tapped their boots on the outer wall to rid them of any snow they might have picked up before entering. Their skin beneath their clothes stung from the change in temperature and their shoulders hunched as their fists clenched shut at their sides as they began to realise just how cold they were.

Once inside Melinda closed the door to stop whatever remaining heat there was left from escaping the house. She pivoted on the spot to be met with matching faces, the pair simultaneously opening their arms to engulf the older woman in a long awaited hug "We've missed you Melinda" Olivia stated.

The embrace was a little awkwardly arranged what with there being three of them but honestly as the Washington mother squeezed them tighter they honestly didn't care "I've missed you too girls" Melinda sniffed as she felt her eyes beginning to tear up. She pushed them back to gaze upon their faces, to see just how much they'd changed over the past three and a half years almost.

Their faces were more defined now, rid of their babyish chubby cheeks and uneven completions from their stressful teenage years: Olivia's skin was a little darker than she remembered there being an olive tint to her tone, it complemented the earthy tones of her eyes that glinted a little gold due to the light, her hair was longer and thinner yet still ran in a smooth waterfall of chocolate from the top of her head, her eyelashes were longer and coated in a thin layer of mascara, but Melinda knew for sure that it was definitely the same girl she'd known since she was little by the signature beauty mark to the far side of her left eye.  
Theodora in comparison still has some had reminiscences of her baby face yet she had finally succeeded in growing taller than the brunette, her sandy hair was still a marvellous length yet also an acceptable subtly wavy mess, her eyes where a clouded blue with a greenish tint that always made them appear teal which were currently emphasised by the fine line of eyeliner laid across her lashes, their shade always looked nice against her skin: the shade pale enough that it was impossible the hide the light spray of freckles dusted across her nose and high cheeks.

Melinda placed a hand on each of their cheeks looking between both of their faces in awe "You've gotten so big" a tear rolled over her cheek and she was quick to remove her hands to wipe it away.

"I doubt we're the only ones" Theodora stated, it'd been too long since the last time they'd actually seen any of the old group: that wasn't over the computer that is.

"Where is everyone?" Olivia tiptoed scouting around for any other sign of life.

"The twins are tidying up" Melinda stated "Hannah! Beth!" She followed up, cupping her hands around her mouth to help project her voice.

"Yeah!?" A holla replied from upstairs.

"What's up!?" Another echoed from the kitchen.

"Would you two come here. I have a surprise for you" at the request the footsteps from upstairs picked up vibrating on the ceiling.

The clanging in the kitchen stopped and a small patting sound filled it's place: most likely Hannah rubbing her wet hands against her sides. The longer haired female was the first to enter the hallway, she was looking down at first but her eyes soon travelled up. Expecting to be met with the image of her mother waiting near the entrance her brow folded as she gazed upon not one but three figures, at first her brain couldn't comprehend what was in front of her, but once she'd come to terms that what she was looking at was real a grin as wide as the Cheshire cats spread across her face instantly followed by a high pitched squealing noise.

Beth wasn't that far behind: reaching the top of the stairs she stared down over the banister she too scowled slightly not really knowing what she was looking at and just as Hannah had, she quickly realised what was happening and squealed doing a little press up bounce against the banister before rushing to the edge of the stairs. Her feet were heavy as she quick stepped down the stairs: eventually beginning to take them two at a time; she almost missed the folded lilac blanket of Hannah's that now lay on one of the bottom steps, however she had seen it just in time and did a small leap over the piled fabric.

Hannah wobbled across the hallway in her fluffy socks with her arms out to prevent her from slipping, she made contact first causing more squeals of excitement to fill the room. The three joined in a quick huddle with an arm over each others shoulder though they didn't hold their position for long as Beth skidded towards them: arms reopening so that the three then became four. Purposely over exaggerated cheers with small bursts of laughter in between the group bobbed about in a small circle "Oh my god, I missed you two so much" Beth stated rather loudly amongst their ruckus.

Outside of their circle Melinda watched in pure delight as the childhood friends embraced each other and bopped about in excitement: she was happy she had made the right decision in keeping their early arrival a secret, just watching the four females (now practically women) before her turn back into giggling kids again made her feel so much glee: possibly in a way only a mothers would understand.

"Us too!-" Theodora begun "-talking though the Internet just isn't good enough" she added.

The group broke up, still standing close to each other with big smiles and slightly pink cheeks "Which reminds me...Wheres that brother of yours and his Internet tech wizz of a best friend?" Olivia questions looking inconspicuously over her shoulder in case he had snuck up behind her "Aren't they normally coped up in here somewhere?" She joked.

The circle of teens split apart and the twins looked between each other as they searched for an answer "He's out" Beth began.

"He went to meet Chris earlier and we haven't seen him since" Hannah finished shrugging.

"That's weird. And you have no idea what they are up to?" Theodora raised her brow.

"Well knowing Josh it'll have something to do with booze, pizza or both" Beth grinned, thinking back to all the times Josh would disappear and return with some type of food, drink and a tired looking Chris trailing behind.

"Wait, isn't Chris suppose to be staying tonight?" Hannah interjected, fixing the black rimmed glasses on her nose.

"I think so....Ugh that means loud music until eleven and muffled grunts that wake you up at two in the morning... damn video games" Beth grumbled running her palms down her face.

Olivia and Theodora covered their mouths as light laughter escaped between their lips "We see nothings changed with them two then?".

The twins shock their heads "Honestly I think they've actually gotten worse" Beth joked.

"Worse than the time they poured green slim on us from the bathroom window in front of the whole school?" Theodora inwardly cringed at the memory.

"Kinda" Hannah shrugged with an almost cheeky yet concerned expression on her face.

"Oh dear lord. We can leave, its not to late to turn back" the blonde shoved her companion's shoulder, pretending to want an escape.

"No!" the identical females grabbed their arms with a laugh "Don't go".

"Haha. Don't worry we're just playing... I think we can give those boys a run for their money" Olivia beamed.

"Yup we're not only taller but we're stronger and wiser" Theodora jokingly flexed.

"And don't forget prettier" Olivia flipped her long hair.

The group laughed, it felt like nothing had changed, like the four hadn't just reunited after years apart.   
They continued to reminisce as they retreated from the hallway; they marvelled upon the new decorations and colours as they passed through each room, things were more modern now compared to their previous visit; images of younger versions of themselves lay darted around the rooms "I see Matt still hasn't made it to the fireplace yet?" Olivia pointed out as she glanced over the frames Malinda had earlier.

"Nah. He almost did last year, but the perfect photo was blurry, so he's still gotta wait" Hannah implied.

"That is fair" the new arrivals hummed in understanding.

Beth flopped down onto the sofa, Hannah followed leaving a space between them so that their friends could sit down. Inwardly they felt a little awkward what with the house so long ago visited feeling like unknown territory "Come on. You might have left, but here's still a second home" Hannah beamed, her and Beth both patting the empty space encouragingly.

Olivia shrugged "Ok" she brushed off the odd feeling before turning and flopping back into the soft cushions "Come on Theodora, they don't bite" the brunette beamed once settled in her seat.

"Fine" the blonde rolled her blue eyes playfully before turning and flopping back also, her legs lifting high as she bounced into the empty space.

"Right now you've got to tell us everything" Beth gushed placing palms flat on Theodora's knee leaning a little further into the group.

"Us?... I think you're the ones who have to tell us what's been going down with the others" they stated with a small laugh.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Their conversations went on for a while, all the basics briefly covered within the short space of twenty-five minutes. They had managed to cover the subjects of: boys- Hannah's kind of serious crush on Mike and how he was dating Emily; Prom- how the twins went together, while Theodora went with one of their new friends Lilliana and Olivia was accompanied by one of their gay friends George; School activities- Olivia had been studying Psychology while also spending her time as a cheerleader with the cutest yellow and blue outfit, Theodora on the other hand preferred Art mainly and Science- anything experimental really; Beth took to English and had begun to write her own stories, where Hannah took to Graphic Design mainly because of her new love of designing which had sprung from her recent tattooed inked onto her right upper shoulder and History because of her fascination of cultures past.

Just as they were about to cover something new the small revs of an engine rumbled up to the house "Josh's home!" Beth smiled excited considering he too would be overjoyed to find that the two girls had arrived early.

The four sprung up from the sofa, all rushing to the door. Hannah got there first and pulled the door open to find Josh's black jeep parked halfway up the drive "Hey Han, do you know who's bike that is? And why is it in our drive?" Josh inquired hopping down from behind the drivers seat.

"Yeah that's a very inconvenient place to park" Chris agreed appearing out of the passengers side.

Beth followed her sister out "Well are you guys going to answer me?" he asked, if his tone was any more sassy you would expect him to raise a brow and pop a hip.

"Shut up Josh" Beth rolled her eyes silencing him.

"Hey what'd I d...." before he could finished Olivia's restraints to keep the surprise a secret any longer broke and she came skipping bare foot from excitement into the snow.

"JOSHHH!!" she cried running towards him.

His eyes widened and as the brunette charged fast towards him closing the space between them a lot quicker than he could register, so he just threw open his arms instinctively "OLIVE!" he cried. The smaller female leaped into his arms, the force of the impact sending them back and the two found themselves toppling into the snow.

Josh managed to sit them both up; his legs outstretched with one arm still around the female kneeling before him while the other stayed out behind him to hold his weight "You're not meant to be here yet" he grinned as they pulled out of the hug to stare at each other.

"Yeah I know, but we got earlier flights and wanted to surprise you" Olivia beamed, incredibly happy to see the tanned male.

"We?" the voice came from behind her.

As she turned on her now wet and cold knees she found Chris grinning behind her with an outstretched arm offering help "CHRIS!" she cried springing up just as fast as she had run.

"Whoa-oh" he laughed as he wobbled, the brunette almost having him over in the snow too.

"And to answer your question...yes WE" Olivia directed behind him with a nod of her head.

He paused, both him and Josh turning back towards the house once the darker haired male had clawed himself back up out of the snow "You forget. We travel in pairs" Theodora smiled as she waltzed down the last of the front stairs.

"Teddy!" the two males beamed.

Chris was first to her, picking her smaller frame up and spinning her in a circle "I've missed you Hartley" she stated as she pulled away from him.

"And what about me?" Josh raised a brow from beside them.

Theodora rolled her eyes her smile turning into more of a smirk now "Of course I missed you, you dork" he then ambushed her into a mild tackle hug and the two squeezed each other as they embraced.

As the pair pulled away Theodora's expression changed slightly and once they were apart enough she sent her closed fist into the male's shoulder "Ow what the hell was that for!?" he whined, yet a small smile stayed.

"That is for not answering my emails, texts or calls... You and me have some things to talk about mister" she stated.

Josh's face almost turned sad, but at the last second he seemed to realise his sudden mood change and quickly disguised it with something happier "Alright, but later yeah?" he ruffled her hair, the blonde swatting his hand away.

"I mean it Washington!" she implied her seriousness.

"Hmm of course" he hummed.

"Come on guys its freezing out here!" the mild tension was cut by Hannah's call from the porch, arms folded around herself to emphasis her statement.

"Whaaa!" Josh snapped out of whatever he was thinking about as Olivia pounced upon his back.

"We're coming!" she laughed as he hopped to keep her securely in place.

The two blondes chuckled at their friends, Theodora more than Chris as Josh lifted Olivia's leg in his grasp to kick and move the female along.  
"Lock the car for me cochise" Josh tossed his keys as best he could once he'd yanked them by a charm from his jean pocket.

"Sure thing bro" Chris complied as he barely caught the group of jagged silver before they hit the ground.

With a beep the jeep was locked and the two blondes followed the wobbling pair as the ascended up the wooden steps.


	2. Awesome Mix Vol. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its been a while since I wrote this chapter (about a year maybe) and now I finally have a new laptop to upload/update. Whoop!

Low levelled music played in the background on the large TV as the six gathered upon the couches "And then as Mike tried to style it out he completely failed and fell face first into the snow" Chris finished his story causing the group to burst into a fit of laughter at the mere thought of Mr. ego himself flailing as he fell.

"Awh man-" Olivia puffed, her breaths short from all the hard laughter "-that's the stuff I've missed" she stated wiping a tear away from her red tinted cheeks.

It had been a few hours now since the girls had arrived; Josh and Chris had immediately hit them both with twenty questions, followed by what the pair would consider the most memorable moments of the past three years.

"It's great to have you back" Hannah beamed from the couch arm beside Olivia "It really feels like nothing’s changed".

"I know right" Beth agreed, her grin growing as the two other females nodded happily in response.

"All except their chests, damn you could knock someone out with those" Josh whispered his hand covering his smirk as he leaned towards Chris. 

A slight pink tint covered Chris' cheeks at the implication his eyes instinctively directed to the indicated area of the girl's bodies "Holy hell dude you're not wrong there" he quickly turned his gaze before anyone noticed.

Despite their ideas of being discreet the pair really weren't and were surprised by the sudden shower of harsh pillows flying at them "For fuck sake guys" Theodora cursed sending a glare their way.

"Why have you got to be such pervs?" Olivia added as she threw the final obtainable pillow.

"Don't act like you don't love it princess" Josh chuckled throwing a pillow back.

The brunette caught it with ease and hugged it against herself to cover her chest with a scoff "Ugh!" she turned her head away.

Beth and Hannah giggled hiding their mouths behind cupped hands "He's not wrong though" Beth stated before gently prodding the side of Theodora's breast.

"Don't encourage them!" she retaliated, folding her arms around herself as her eyes widened in mild horror and embarrassment.

The group were once again in a small fit of giggles; humour filled the air. It was nice to have a change; Josh was distracted from his thoughts for once and the twins had company that wasn't Sam or Chris. New was good and they were eating up every moment of it.

 

Unexpectedly the moment was put on pause as two ring tones mixed together in a mess of a bad mash up "Hold up" Theodora announced holding up her index finger. She arose from her seat pulling her phone from her jacket pocket beginning to pace away behind Josh and Chris; escaping the curious ears as she ventured into the dining room "Yes that’s her speaking".

All eyes followed her figure across and out of the room "Ooooh where's she off to speaking in secret?" Josh wiggled his eyebrows, a playful expression on his face once his attention had turned back to the group.

"If you're inquiring if she's talking to a boyfriend slash lover-" Olivia made a physical slashing motion with her hand "-then you are wrong my dear Joshua...She hasn't dated anyone since Geek Chic over there" she added with a point of her finger and a nod of her head in Chris' direction: just to clarify.

Chris felt his chest tighten a little, his past relationship with the blonde wasn't something they generally talked about. It wasn't that it was bad, after all they were still close friends, just that on some occasions situations became a little awkward if moments from the past were resurrected once again.

"Hmm. What are you implying?" Josh seemed to be hatching a master plan "Maybe there's still some feelings there Cochise. We can get you back in the game now that Ashley is out of the picture".

Chris' eyes widened as he shuffled back a little awkwardly in his seat "Dude!?" he whined, back-handing the darker skinned male across the shoulder.

"What happened between you and Ashley?" Olivia played dumb. She already knew, thanks to the power of social media, that Chris' and Ashley's relationship had come to an end, although she was interested to see why it had ended so abruptly considering the giant crush the pair had, had on each other.

"It just didn't work y'know" Chris shrugged turning his head from all the eyes that he could feel digging, questioning him.

"Well it 'Didn't Work' with Theodora either, so either A) there’s something wrong with you Christopher or B) you're bullshiting" Olivia implied almost bluntly.

Chris' gaze shot back to them at her words, his fingers tightening into fists as his brain tried to think of a response.

"We think she was seeing someone else" Josh commented almost emotionless without warning, like it was no big deal. Well it wasn't really, to him anyway.

If Olivia had been drinking she would've just made the biggest spit tank explode from her mouth "Ashley!? As in our little Ashley Brown?" her hazel eyes darted around watching as the three Washington siblings nodded in union "You're trying to tell me that Ashley, the girl who always sits far left in the back of the class writing her little pre-novels and can barely raise her voice when asked a question by the tutor, has the capacity to CHEAT!?" Olivia elaborated almost as if to make sure that the others weren't getting confused with some other Ashley Brown they’d come across along the way.

"Nope, same Ashley" Beth confirmed.

"Jesus" Olivia huffed, actually a little gobsmacked.

"Thanks guys" Chris was practically sulking now.

Josh placed his palm upon his friend’s shoulder and with a light grip gave him a reassuring shake "It’s alright bro. I'm sure there'll be plenty of more girls falling at your feet".

"Ch'yeah whatever man" Chris grinned lightly pushing Josh's hand away as he ghosted a laugh. There was a seconds pause before something switched in Chris' head "I mean you've got to watch what you say Josh-" his lips quickly twisted into a menacing smirk. Josh felt his stomach turn; whenever Chris wore that smile it was never good, dude was out for revenge "-I mean we wouldn't want a certain secret about..."

"Christopher!!" Josh pounced not waiting to hear or get a gist of whatever Chris was planning to tell.

Mild screeching arose as the two began to wrestle messily on their sofa "Guys!" Hannah's tone implied they should stop, yet she grinned in amusement watching the overgrown children tussle.

 

"Joshua..." at the different voice Josh stopped fighting with Chris, pulling down his shirt as he joined the others in gazing over at the living rooms open archway.

Melinda had stopped, leaning with her palm against the outer frame; her usual smile was set straight, her head hug slightly and a travel bag sat at her feet; it was clearly their mothers phone that had conveniently rung in time with Theodora's.

The oldest sibling sighed; the three of them suddenly becoming sad, knowing all too well what this meant "Another meeting?" Josh sighed.

Olivia felt her heart sink at the sudden sad atmosphere; she'd never seen the Washington trio so down, her gaze shot to Chris and he pulled a slanted face as he shook his head slightly. It was then that the brunette realised that this was clearly something that happened far too often, and it affected her friend’s way more than they'd ever let on.

"Hannah, Beth" they looked up, Olivia twisting in her place to look upon the older woman from over the back of the couch "Look after each other for me. And look after your brother" no words were said they just nodded "Joshua look after yourself as well and don't forget about your sisters" she turned to him. He wasn't looking at her now, just stared down at his hands in his lap "I'm sorry Josh" his mother pleaded.

When no words were said, the tension began to build the longer he stared down avoiding everyone, practically sinking into himself as if no one else was in the room. His sister broke the silence "It’s alright mum. We'll be fine" Beth forced a small smile in attempt to reassure her parent, maybe even herself.

"I love you all so much" she informed, the sincerity of it present in her voice.

"We know mum, we love you too" Hannah replied, copying her twins small smile.

"Thank you girls" their mothers shoulders were hunched tense, they only sagged slightly after her daughter’s words "Look after Olivia and Theodora too... You two enjoy your stay" As the mother's dark eyes landed upon her face the brunette nodded "Say goodbye to Theodora for me too".

"Will do" Olivia flashed a thumbs up, over-exaggerating her grin in hopes it would somehow disrupt the mood.

Melinda managed a smile at the girl's behaviour "I'll see you all in a few days" she sighed bending over to pull the bag over her shoulder. 

 

An impatient honk came from outside, Olivia watched as Melinda gazed over her children's face as if it would be the last time she'd see them. Hannah and Beth waved farewell, Joshua on the other hand refused to look up; Chris attempted to bring him back into the room but even a pat on the shoulder didn't seem to phase him much.

With the room silent the door shutting echoed loudly through the house, after a few seconds they heard the distinctive sound of a car door slamming shut and an engine build as the car began to move off into the distance.

"Alright so I have some good news and bad news" Theodora's voice entered the air, the quiet so tense it was like a knife to butter.

"Theodora!?" Olivia warned behind gritted teeth.

The blonde's eyes widened a little shocked at the sudden tense atmosphere that filled the room; a complete contrast from when she had walked out only a few minutes ago. She looked around and saw the sad faces that had moulded themselves upon the people in the room "What happened?" she mouth to Olivia.

"Melinda's gone again" the brunette mouthed back "Josh is not ok" she added nodding towards the Washington male.

Theodora's gaze turned to him, she couldn't see his face, but his head hung low and his aura was anything but good. With even strides she raked her brain between the short distance to the couch to think of a way to snap him out of it.

Chris watched as the blonde wondered over to the side of the chair, she bent slightly, the edge of her face being visible just behind his best friends "Joshua" she spoke softly "Joshua talk to me" her hand rose to his hair. He originally flinched away at her touch at first, although he eventually allowed it the second time. She combed the front on his hair, her fingers brushing his dark locks away from his face "Don't shut down on us" she knew he probably couldn't see it, but she flashed him a small smile, her finger trailed down to his cheek "Joshua?" still nothing. She scowled, he was just being stubborn now and it quickly irritated her until she snapped "Josh!" she used the back of her nail to flick his ear.

Beth and Hannah watched a little uncomfortably as the blonde attempted to make contact with their brother: the five of them in the room along with Sam were the only ones ever able to get through to Josh at times like this. They were grateful for her efforts, it wasn't his fault when he got like this, but they hated whenever it happened; it was like Josh became a whole other person. They jumped as she flicked him, each sucking a breath in a little shocked at the action.

Josh jolted at the sudden pain upon his skin, veering away at her close proximity "D-don't touch me" he almost cowered; holding up his hand; putting up a wall, making a block between them.

"Nah ah" Theodora grasped his extended wrist lightly, careful not to use too much force "We're here for you, to spend time with you and your sisters. I am not letting you curl in on yourself" her eyes were soft once he'd found the courage to look over at her, he noted the way her lips stayed curled in a small smile and there was a small rose tint highlighting the freckles on her cheeks. He found it oddly contagious and unintentionally he had found himself beginning to loosen up a little and a smirk beginning to ghost his lips "Atta boy" Theodora beamed.

The twins let out the breath they appeared to be holding; Hannah realised that Chris had been doing the same as they all watch on at the same scene "Great now that you're done sulking" Olivia had bounced up off of the couch and had bumped her way into Theodora's side to be present in Josh's sight. She knew what had happened was not him sulking, it was of course something more serious than that: her psychology classes had taught her that, but she decided to make light of the situation; the brunette smiling as her comment made the male chuckle lightly. 

"Jeez bro you had me worried there" Chris joined in, adding to the cheerful demeanour everyone was now bringing to the group.

"Sorry cochise" Josh apologised knocking the males knee with his knuckles, "Sorry sis" he added looking back up and between the pair of them.

"It’s alright" Beth reassured.

"We get it, we hate it when she leaves too" Hannah rubbed her right arm a little roughly, her sadness still evident. Out of nowhere a pillow clashed with her face "Ow!" she shrieked rocking on the couch arm and slipping off the side.

"Come on Han we just cheered your brother up. Don't make me flick you too" Theodora joke, straightening back up from grabbing the pillow from off of the floor.

Hannah rolled her eyes "Oookaay" she dragged out allowing her face to break out in a grin too.

"Goody..." Olivia stood back from her position by Josh's chair "That reminds me...what’s the news you had to tell us" her neatly sculpted brow raised curiously as she turned to her blonde companion.

"Oh yeah... You want the good or bad news first?" everyone one listened in.

Olivia pretended to ponder first before answering "Lets mix it up. Give me the good news first".

"That was the airport on the phone. Good news is, is that they've found our cases".

The brunette clapped happily "And the bad news?".

"For some reason we won’t be able to pick them up until this time tomorrow” she played awkwardly with her fingers.

"Uggggh" Olivia growled clawing her hands down her face.

"I know right. The person I was talking to wasn't that helpful either" Theodora informed.

"That’s just great" the brunette grumbled "I need a drink" she mumbled the second half more to herself than anyone else. And then that’s when she had an idea, something Beth had said not long after they had first arrived.

She arched back stretching her spine, hands on hips as she prepared to change the subject "I've been told that whenever you disappear Mr. Washington you are notorious for bringing back food and alcoholic beverages" she implied sending him a look.

Josh shook his head- his previous mood seeming to have dissolved altogether- he knew that look, she was up for a party, looking to get wasted and not remember anything until the afternoon after "Just come out and ask if we can get smashed, don’t beat around the bush" he chuckled getting up from his seat.

"You know me well Joshua" the brunette patted his shoulder.

"Sounds like a plan. You guys in?" Theodora looked to the twins and the blonde in the glasses.

"Sure, why not" Chris shrugged sitting up straighter.

"As long as we're sensible" Josh rolled his eyes at Beth's statement.

"Of course, we will" he replied.

"Is it alright if I go invite Sam?" Hannah piped up.

"Yaaasss bring the blonde" the group chuckled at Olivia's excitement.

"Does she still live at the same address? I don’t mind going to pick her up" Theodora added. Hannah nodded.

"Well it looks like we're throwing ourselves a little party" Josh seemed excited himself now.

"I'll go call Sam" Hannah told disappearing off up the stairs.

"Great. We'll go get the drink and snacks from the car" Josh didn't even need to ask, Chris was up and prepared to help right off the bat.

"Told ya. He always does it" Beth crossed her arms smiling smugly. 

Olivia and Theodora just shook their heads "Anything we can do to help?" they offered.

"Nah let’s leave it to the boys" Beth finally got up from her place "Come on let’s go change into something more comfortable" she grabbed Olivia's arm who in turn did the same to Theodora. The short haired raven dragged the pair up the carpeted stairs.

Pyjamas, snacks and booze what more could a group of teens ask for.


End file.
